The 2017 Worldwide Developers Congress kicks off on 5 June in San Jose, California and there is no announcement from Apple yet whether or not it is making Siri speaker's first appearance at the event. Tech pundits, however, believe that there is a new Amazon Echo and Google Home rival that will be introduced later this week. Here's what has been revealed so far about Apple's Siri speaker.
The Siri speaker has appeared in Apple's devices already in some ways. While fans are waiting for a standalone device to be launched soon and compete against industry rivals Amazon and Google, there seem to be a few hints coming that an imminent debut is happening. A Bloomberg report reveals that Apple has started the production of the smart speaker, and it might start shipping by the end of the year. The Siri speaker is expected to sport a surround sound and a support for Apple HomeKit products.
Earlier in May, there had been speculations already that the forthcoming Apple speaker will have an integrated touchscreen after Apple senior vice president of worldwide marketing Phil Schiller commented his disappointment over Amazon and Google's masterpieces. He was quoted telling Gadgets 360, "Well, I won't talk to either one specifically, [I] don't want to. My mother used to have a saying that if you don't have something nice to say, say nothing at all".
The executive further discussed the essence of a screen in terms of interaction. He said, "There's many moments where a voice assistant is really beneficial, but that doesn't mean you'd never want a screen. So the idea of not having a screen, I don't think suits many situations." Amazon's Alexa sports a touchscreen display for video calls and live security camera viewing, while Google's Home does not have.
Famed Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believed the chances of Apple presenting the Siri speaker during the WWDC event. As for the price point, he forecasted that the device will be much more expensive that Amazon Echo's US$179.99 tag.
